Dispose of used snus and nicotine pouches correctly

Whether tobacco-free or tobacco-containing Snus - both variants contain nicotine. This must be taken into account when disposing of used pouches. You can find out how to dispose of the products correctly and why disposal via the toilet should be avoided in the following article.

How are nicotine pouches disposed of correctly?

When it comes to disposal after use, just as with cigarettes, nicotine pouches and Snus environmental aspects should also be considered. The nicotine they contain can pose a certain risk to our environment if it gets into the groundwater, for example.

Disposing of nicotine pouches in the toilet pollutes waste water in an unnecessary way

Anyone who thinks that disposal via the toilet flush is the best way is mistaken. As the German state capital of Mainz, for example, informs us, even sewage treatment plants cannot completely eliminate dissolved nicotine, which occurs in wastewater due to incorrect disposal via the toilet, with the usual three purification stages*.

It is true that purification methods in ultra-modern sewage treatment plants or wastewater treatment plants include further processes (fourth purification stage with ozonation, membrane filtration or activated carbon filtration), which can help to achieve promising results. However, such methods are not available nationwide and their efficiency can vary.

In any case, when tobacco snus and nicotine pouches are disposed of in the toilet, dissolved nicotine pollutes our wastewater in a way that can easily be prevented. Those who dispose of their used products properly in the residual waste after use and not in the toilet can make a significant contribution here.

* See also: https://www.mainz.de/verwaltung-und-politik/buergerservice-online/umwelttipps/gesundheit/zigarettenkippen.php#:~:text=Zigarettenkippen%20werden%20auch%20%C3%BCber%20Gullys,Reinigungsstufen%20nicht%20vollst%C3%A4ndig%20eliminiert%20werden

Snus, Dispose of nicotine pouches and cigarettes in residual waste

Snus- and nicotine pouches should be disposed of in residual waste after use, just like cigarettes. Many people may think that they can also be disposed of in organic waste - but this risks a possible environmental impact.

Dispose of empty Snus Cans in the yellow garbage can or in the yellow bag

Most Snus cans are made of plastic and such packaging materials belong in the yellow bin or yellow bag.

Incidentally, because sustainability is such a hot topic and plastic materials in particular are difficult to balance, more and more people want to recycle them. Snus manufacturers sustainability by using bio-based, biodegradable or recycled materials.

A well-known brand with which more environmentally friendly, plant-based, recycled cans are available on the market is, for example Loop.

Use separate can compartment for used Snus 

In contrast to cigarettes, the packaging of Nicotine Pouches offers a modern way of temporarily storing used products until the next residual waste garbage can is accessible. In this way, the industry also wants to create incentives for consumers to dispose of their used products properly.

A tip at this point: If you want to keep an eye on the amount you consume, the best way to do this is to collect your used pouches in this very bin and finally dispose of them collectively.

So: use the storage compartments integrated into the can design, make a contribution to correct disposal and keep an eye on the amount you consume.

If the "empty" Snus cans are then disposed of in the yellow garbage can, you should make sure that this compartment is empty.